Chef Mikhail Prime demonstrates a pork dish for the Think Like A Chef event at the University of Alberta Hospital.

Photograph by: John Lucas
, Edmonton Journal

EDMONTON - Chef Mikhail Prime knows that it’s tough to eat well. The co-owner of The Greenhouse — a salad restaurant on the University of Alberta campus — was once 50 pounds heavier than his svelte and athletic self. It’s because he was working crazy hard hours in the restaurant business, with no time to plan healthy meals for himself. Prime just ate whatever calorie-laden option was available in the restaurant kitchen at the end of the night.

So when he decided to start his own restaurant nearly four years ago with his brother, Amilcar, Prime knew he wanted to create food that would help, not hinder, folks to attain their health and fitness goals. Working with a nutritionist, he used his culinary background to construct different salad options that would give customers what they wanted in terms of nutrients, and taste. The result has been so successful, that The Greenhouse is expanding to open a full-service and takeout restaurant in downtown Edmonton this summer.

Prime shared his tips on weight loss and eating well with staff from the University of Alberta Hospital during its second annual Think Like A Chef event, held last week at the hospital’s Bernard Snell Hall. U of A hospital staff were able to attend a lecture and cooking demonstration by Prime, as well as a pep talk by registered dietitian Heidi Bates. The event was organized through the hospital’s wellness committee, and sponsored by Taste Alberta, Alberta Turkey Producers, Alberta Pork and Alberta Pulse.

The goal was to arm participants with the tips and tools they need to make healthy and delicious choices for themselves, and to, according to Bates, build a body that stands the test of time.

“People talk about nutrients like they have nothing to do with food,” notes Bates. “But we don’t eat nutrients. We eat food. We are surrounded by food, and not all of it is fresh, healthy and tasty.”

Bates, who has a master’s degree in science, says many people are unaware of how much activity is required to burn off the calories we consume. We lead sedentary lives, eat large portions of food, and wonder why the pounds creep on.

Bates says half the battle with weight control is being mindful of what you are eating. When you meet a friend for coffee at Second Cup, and your drink has a name like Crème Brûlée Ristretto — it’s a dessert, not a coffee. Bates says a venti-sized Java Chip Frappuccino at Starbucks has 580 calories. It would take 70 minutes of running to wear off that treat.

Sugar-sweetened beverages, from pop to sports drinks, contribute to some sobering statistics; two-thirds of Alberta adults are overweight or obese and one quarter of children struggle with their weight, says Bates.

Still, she maintains there are some simple steps that, if practised regularly, really help keep the pounds off. Portion control is one of them. Bates suggests using a 10-inch dinner plate for meals at home so that appropriate portions will look larger.

Once you’ve got the right-sized plate, devote half of it to vegetables, and one quarter to grains and starches and one quarter to a protein. That’s a healthy meal. Drink a milk product, have a piece of fruit for dessert, and you’re on your way.

Bates suggests going to the Canadian Diabetes Association website to learn how to use your hands and fingers to estimate healthy portion sizes (diabetes.ca). She stresses the need to make healthy choices easy, by getting rid of high-fat and high-calorie snacks in the home, and by preparing lots of veggies at a time so you can pull together a salad or cooked vegetable quickly at the day’s end.

“Hunger is the kiss of death to healthy eating,” says Bates.

While demonstrating his recipe for a Roasted Pear Chimichurri Pork Loin Salad, chef Prime added his own ideas for maintaining a healthy weight. Though it’s nearly a cliché by now, eating breakfast is key. Getting enough sleep also helps, because it’s hard to find time for planning and preparing good food when you’re low on energy.

“You have to make a commitment to yourself,” says Prime.

He says his restaurant salads are 80-per-cent healthy, and 20-per-cent naughty — an equation he follows in his own daily eating.

Roasted Pear Chimichurri Pork Loin Salad

This dish, made with Alberta pork, is loaded with flavour from fresh, chopped cilantro, parsley and garlic and tossed in a sweet pear vinaigrette. It serves four.

Chimichurri Pork Ingredients

4, 8-ounce (250-gram) pieces of pork loin, trimmed

4 tablespoons (50 mL) olive oil

1 tablespoon (15 mL) rough chopped roasted garlic clove

1 tablespoon (15 mL) rough chopped cilantro

1/2 cup (125 mL) rough chopped parsley

1 teaspoon (5 mL) lemon pepper

1 teaspoon (5 mL) garlic powder

2 tablespoons (25 mL) red wine vinegar or regular vinegar

1 tablespoon (15 mL) smoked paprika

Method

Place pork loin and the other ingredients in an airtight, zipped plastic bag. Remove as much air as possible and place in the fridge for 45 minutes, or, for best results, marinate for eight to 10 hours. Roast the meat in a 375F/180C oven for about 45 to an hour. Can be served on the salad either hot or cold.

Pear Moscato Vinaigrette Ingredients

1 cup (250 mL) Moscato wine

1/2 cup (125 mL) rough chopped pear

1/2 cup (125 mL) rough chopped onion

1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon (15 mL) garlic, puréed

2 tablespoon (25 mL) honey

1/4 cup (50 mL) vinegar

3/4 cup (175 mL) olive oil

Method

In a food processor, purée pear, onion, cilantro and garlic until it forms a smooth paste. Add wine, honey and vinegar. With the food processor on high, slowly add olive oil to the puréed mixture until fully emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste. Makes roughly two cups (500 mL) of dressing.

Salad Ingredients

6 to 8 cups (1,500 to 2,000 mL) baby spinach

4 tablespoons (50 mL) dried cranberries

8 tablespoons (100 mL) cooked quinoa

1/3 cup (75 mL) goat feta cheese

Method

Toss the greens, cranberries, quinoa and feta cheese together and place on four plates. Arrange the pork slices on top of the salads. Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of the dressing over each salad and serve.

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